Adreian Payne struggled to contribute on the Minnesota Timberwolves during the course of the 2016-17 season.
This season was a step in the wrong direction for Adreian Payne. The 25-year-old power forward out of Michigan State only played in 18 games during the season. He struggled to give the coaching staff reasons to increase his minutes and, ultimately, his role with the Minnesota Timberwolves in general.
When the Wolves acquired Payne in 2015, he looked promising at only 23 years old. In 29 games played with the Wolves, he averaged 7.2 points a game, 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists. Because of his production he gave fans a fair reason to be excited about him joining a young Minnesota Timberwolves team.
Fast forward two seasons and Adreian Payne has not lived up to the early expectations based on his initial play when signed. Unfortunately for him, this is a contract year and he did not make a good case for himself to stay in Minnesota.
2016-17 Stats
Payne played the 13th most total minutes for the Timberwolves this season. The Wolves were desperate for bench players to step up. Despite the opportunity, Payne did not step up to the plate.
Athletically he is a good fit for the Wolves. Unfortunately, athleticism does not always translate in the NBA. Head coach Tom Thibodeau was unsuccessful at harnessing Payne’s potential this season. Payne played more minutes a season ago, appearing in 52 games. Two of those games were starts.
Below are Payne’s stats from this season.
| Season | Age | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 25 | 18 | 0 | 7.5 | .426 | .200 | .513 | .737 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 3.5 |
| Career | 102 | 24 | 13.3 | .399 | .232 | .424 | .670 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 4.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/30/2017.
The most positive stat achieved by Payne this season was averaging 3.5 points a game while only playing 7.5 minutes a game. There were times when he went in and looked like he deserved more minutes. Other times he looked lost and showed exactly why he wasn’t playing very much.
Role for Adreian Payne heading into next season
Adreian Payne will officially become a free agent once the offseason starts. The Wolves should not re-sign him. It is critical for them to improve their bench this offseason. In addition, improving the power forward position is a priority for the team. Even if they decided to keep Payne, another player would likely eat up his minutes.
Next: 2017 NBA Mock Draft: Post-Lottery edition
In conclusion, Adreian Payne’s career is heading in the wrong direction. His career is far from over but it is time for him to find a better fit. The Timberwolves are just not working out and it would be wise for them to look elsewhere with his contract expiring. Payne is a guy that can become a solid bench player if he finds a team that is willing to work with him and give him an opportunity.